Fahamu Trustonixsuitesupport@onixsuite.com20181219T0816ZengCOM.ONIXSUITE.97819063874190101Fahamu Books021906387419039781906387419159781906387419020100VIV201083.10oz0888gr0101APlace in the City1C0101Onixsuite Contributor ID366Pambazuka Press101eng09300510POL05500024Fahamu Subject ClassificationCD-ROMs & DVDs24Fahamu Subject ClassificationHUMAN RIGHTS24Fahamu Subject ClassificationLIVING ON THE STREET24Fahamu Subject ClassificationMEDIA93JP941M0101Activists, campaigners, NGO-workers, academics, journalists, commentators0300<P>Nearly 15 years since apartheid ended, millions of black South Africans still live in self-built shacks – without sanitation, adequate water supplies, or electricity.</p>
<P>But <em>A Place in the City</em> will overturn all your assumptions about 'slums' and the people who live in them.</p>
<P>In this film, shot in the vast shack settlements in and around Durban, members of Abahlali baseMjondolo, the grassroots shackdwellers' movement, lay out their case – against forcible eviction and for decent services – with passion, eloquence, and sweet reason. The film captures the horrible conditions in which shackdwellers live – but it also captures Abahlali's bravery and resilience, in a political climate where grassroots campaigners like them are more likely to be met with rubber bullets than with offers to talk.</p>
<P>'For the first time now', says S'bu Zikode, Abahlali's elected leader, 'poor people have started to speak for themselves. Now, that challenges those who are paid to think for us – who are paid to speak for us.'</p>
<P>At the heart of Abahlali's struggle is the struggle for meaningful citizenship rights for South Africa's poor majority. 'Or does freedom in South Africa,' asks Abahlali volunteer organiser Louisa Motha, 'only belong to the rich?'</p>
<P><em>'… a story of disappointed hopes and the failure of government to address the basic social rights of ordinary people. But it's also a story of "ordinary" South Africans who have not given up.'</em><br />
William Gumede, former deputy editor of <em>The Sowetan</em><br />
<br />
<strong>The institutional price of A Place in the City is £100. Please contact us at <a href="info@fahamu.org">info@fahamu.org</a> or on on +44 (0)1865 727006 for further details.</strong></p>
<P>A FAHAMU BOOKS AND PAMBAZUKA PRESS PUBLICATION</p>
<P>Orders within the United Kingdom include VAT.</p>0200This film, made by Jenny Morgan working with Abahlali baseMjondolo, is about the shackdwellers' struggles – for rights of tenure, for decent sanitation and to be allowed to stay in their neighbourhood.0302Under the system of racial segregation called apartheid, black South Africans were forced to live on the edge of cities such as Durban. As the system weakened, people moved 'illegally' into the cities and built vast neighbourhoods of shacks.<br />
In post-apartheid South Africa the constitution requires the state to provide 'adequate housing' for its citizens, but in their response to the housing crisis the authorities' rallying cry has become 'Clear the slums!'<br />
If it means leaving the city, the shackdwellers don't want to go. So now the shackdwellers of Durban have started a community-based movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo – the people of the shacks – with the slogan 'Talk to us – not about us'.<br />
This film, made by Jenny Morgan working with Abahlali baseMjondolo, is about the shackdwellers' struggles – for rights of tenure, for decent sanitation and to be allowed to stay in their neighbourhood.0600<p>'Compulsory viewing for government and the broader society.'</p>Sunday Tribune, Durban, South AfricaSunday Tribune, Durban, South Africa01200907260600<p>'A Place in the City is one of those rare films that is both very well produced and insightful by virtue of its clarity and dispassionate documentary style. It is no less powerful for that. Moreover, it lends itself to use in different contexts: lectures and seminars, leadership training, general awareness raising and policy advocacy. I have been looking for just such a resource to update my South African library for several years. This film deserves the widest possible exposure.'</p>Professor David Simon, Development Geography, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London0600<p>'The film is truly excellent, and for those of us involved daily with evictions, resistances and processes, I can tell you that it is very inspiring and well-documented. It brings to light the extraordinary capacity of simple people treated unfairly by an unjust system to keep faith in their future and their capacities and, despite their hardships, to think of a better and more humane world, not only for their neighbours or their brothers and sisters, but way beyond this. They are dreaming, and they are building a more just world, for all of us, and for our children.<br /> <br /> 'This film, in its simplicity and respect, is an invaluable contribution for the hundreds of communities facing eviction, and to all of those who are still struggling for a better world. I hope that you can find the resources to have the voice of Abahlali heard in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese and more.'</p>Professor Yves Cabannes, Chair of Development Planning, University College London Chairperson, Advisory Group on Forced Evictions to the United Nations0600<p>'A Place in the City is an extremely important film which shows that while apartheid maybe over in South Africa, class and housing inequalities are still very evident. In some cases the current political regime's treatment of the so-called "slum dwellers" around Durban is worse than that experienced at the height of the apartheid era. The resilience of people who reside in these well-established but inadequately resourced communities is remarkable, and expertly captured in the film. All those in the film speak with clarity, dignity and commitment – they hold a strong sense of hope of achieving their goals and being able to maintain their "rightful" place in the city.<br /> <br /> 'For anyone teaching geography, global, urban or development studies, or focusing on aspects of global social justice, this is an excellent resource. It represents insight without patronising, reality without pity, and demonstrates the strength of people who materially have so little and yet can articulate powerful and accurate politics.'</p>Dr Tracey Skelton, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore0600<p>'Anyone interested in contemporary South Africa should watch this film<br /> to learn more about the plight of South African civil society for<br /> equal rights, and the inspiring work of the Abahlali movement.'</p>Dr Lindiwe Dovey, lecturer in African Film at SOAS, University of London0600<p>'A Place in the City offers some fascinating insights into the struggle for rights in South Africa's informal settlements today. It captures Abahlali baseMjondolo's work in mobilising shackdwellers through activists' own words, and presents this through footage that sensitively explores the harsh realities of people's everyday lives. This is a thought-provoking film that will be of interest to anyone concerned with issues around urban development and grassroots social movements in contemporary Africa.'</p>Dr Glyn Williams, Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Sheffield0600<p>'This is a story you won't find in the mainstream media in South Africa - a story of disappointed hopes and the failure of government to address the basic social rights of ordinary people. But it's also a story of 'ordinary' South Africans who have not given up - and their day–to–day struggles are what make real change actually happen. Government ignores the demands of Abahlali and others like them at its peril. This film really needs to be broadcast on mainstream television.'</p>William Gumede, former deputy editor of The Sowetan, Johannesburg, and author of the bestselling 'Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC'0300Sunday Tribune, Durban, South AfricaPain & Couragehttp://www.abahlali.org/node/554401200907260100030201D50202177031250676c692ed724e0f67a47791d36fdfeeb20720995http://fahamubooks.org/resources/titles/90638100032170/images/a5771bce93e200c36f7cd9dfd0e5deaa/THUMBNAIL/9781906387419.jpg1720150811T2004ZFahamu Books0101DilicomFAHAMUPambazuka Press02Grey Street Films/Abahlali baseMjondolo02Pambazuka PressFahamuinfo@fahamu.org0401WORLD0201GCOI90638100032170WORLDGB0001Pambazuka Press20010202HH1029.99GBPGB0402Central Books44 (0)845 458 991144(0)845 458 9912contactus@centralbooks.com33www.centralbooks.comhttp://www.centralbooks.com04032002000002Standard Trade DiscountHH1029.9901S20.008.331.66GBPGB